Process of effecting a combination between selected members of the alcohols and fatty acid.



p and castor-oil may be citedas examp UNITED STA E PATENT orrron.

ERNST TWITCHELL, OF WYOMING, OHIO.

PROCESS OF EFFECTlNG A COMBINATION BETWEEN SELECTED'MEMBERS OF THE ALCOHOLS AND FATTY ACID.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed November 13,1905, Serial No. 287.206. i

Improvements in Process of Effecting a'Gom bination Between Selected Members of the Alcohols and Fatty Acid, of which the follow- 111%28 a specification.

y invention relates to a process for manufacturing certai'n organic products, such as neutral oils or fats and other compounds, of which there may be a wide ran e, resulting inherently from my process an depending spe'cifical y upon the characteristics of the particular compounds selected for the reactron. The object of the invention is, broadly speaking, to effect a combination between t ose non-readil -volatile com ounds containing alcoholic li es, and a fatty acid, of which stearic and o eic acid may be cited as familiar examples.

The distinction which I have just drawn excludes from my process the common eth l or methyl alcohols, which. are highly volati e at ordinary tern eratures. These readilyvolatile alcohols ein mutually soluble in water and in fattyaei B may be readily combilled with the fatty acids by other processes. So far as I am aware it has heretofore been found impossible to effect a com lete combination between the compounds a ove named. For instance, when glycerin and a fatty acid are heated together under a very high temperature they may'combine to a linuted extent with great difficulty and incompletely;

but the requisite conditions are suc as to render this process substantiallyprohibitive on an industrial basis, evenwhere the re-' sultantis the perfect and complete combinat1on which I believe to be effected for the first time by my process; i

I have discovered that a combination may.

be easily and completely effected between selected members of the compounds above named by subjecting them under relativel low temperatures to the influence of a sulfh fatty acid or e combination thereof. In other words, I have found that the alcoholic compounds above named will chemically combmc wlth the fattg acids when brought together and beats with a relativel small quantity of one of the sulfo fatty acids, the

ydroxyl, ofw ich lycerin reagent having a catalytic function, and hence undergom reaction induced y its presence. The quantity of the reagent used is so small and its physical characteristics are such that it need not be recovered from the resultant products, and its presence in them is not appreciable.

The particular member of this sulfo-fatty acid oup which gives the bestresult is a sulfo atty aromatic acid patented b me July 11, 1899, No. 628,503. It is possible to use a simple sulfo fatty acid; but this reagent is open to the objections pointed out in my prior patentthat is, it is difficult to obtain in a pure state, and it is of such unstable character as 'to be undesirable where my preferred reagent is obtainable.

Iwill now describe some s ecific selected examples of myprocess an the resultant products.

Bring together into an open vessel adapted to be heated in any convenient manner say ten parts of (glycer n and one hundred parts of stearic aci to five parts of sulfo fatty aromatic acid. Heat to approximate] 100 centigrade, and agitate the contents 0 the vessel sufficiently to insure an intimate intermixture. The combination of the glycerin with the stearic acid commences immediately with a separation of water, which is evaporated as soon no decomposition in the Add to this mixture from one as formed. In a short time, Valiylllf slightly for instance, if five parts of glycerin were used to one hundred parts of stearic acidthe resultant product will consist entirely of a tri-glycerid. If the glycerin was in excess-as, for instance, if thirty parts of glycerin were used to one hundred parts of stearic acidthe resultant roduct would consist mostly of mono and glycerids.

the glycerin 'Wasin'excess, the unacted-on or uncombined portion thereof may be removed by washing the product with water. fatt acid is in excess, the unacted-on or uncom ined portion thereof may be removed by washing the roduct with alcohol or. by some'other well-Enown process in the art of refinin fats. In either event, however, the ori 'na compound which was not in excess wilT be wholly combined in the reaction, and

If the.

the uncombined ortion of product can be removed by a was ingv rocess familiar to the arts. The products of this specific example of my process are well known and have various uses in the arts, although they are not, as in this instance, the results of an industrial generative process.

Instead of a pure glycerin a mixture thereof, such as a well-known organic refuse or fat, may be employed, in which event the glycerimbearing substance may be simply regarded as a carrier, and the uncom'bined product of this reaction is aneutral oil the character 0t which depends upon the fatty acid used.

From the foregoing general statements of the purposes and operation of my process, as illustrated by selected specific examples, those skilled in the' artwil ireadily derive such an understanding of the invention as will enable them to make practical applicationthereof without further instruction. It will therefore be unnecessary to recite further specific examples of the process, which in its nature admits of almost infinite variety, but all dependent upon the principles involved in my process and su thereto. I l

It isdesirable that the alcoholic hydroxyl be subs'tantiallyanhydrous. There is usually a slight amount of water present, particularly wh'erc' glycerin and similar h" r0 scopic compounds are employed; but it s the intention to carry on the. reaction in the absence of water; and sufficient heat must therefore be employed to substantially evaporate any wateraccidentally present, as well as the water formed by the reaction.

Having described 111 in ventiou, I claim-- The herein-describe: process of combining a non-readily-volatile compoundcontaining alcoholic hydroxyland a fatty acid, which consists in bringing thorntogether in the presence of a relatively small percentage of a sulfo fatty acid and applying sufficientheat to the mixture to evaporatean water prescut as well: as the water forme by the reaction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand;

. ERNST TWITCHELL.

Witnessesm OL vma B. Kiusaa, Lao O'Dounaru ordinate 

